India and Canada unveil ambitious roadmap for cooperation

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand arrived in India on Sunday evening and met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi on Monday. Both leaders reaffirmed their intention to rebuild trust and deepen cooperation across key areas.

During their talks, Jaishankar said, “Our meeting today continues the constructive dialogues that we have over phone calls.”

He said that India–Canada relations had been “steadily progressing in the last two months” and added, “We are working to restore and reinvigorate the mechanisms necessary to advance our partnership.”

Jaishankar highlighted that recent meetings between the National Security Advisors of both countries marked “an important step in addressing our security concerns.”

“When we see Canada, we see a complementary economy, an open society, diversity, and pluralism, all of which form the basis of close cooperation,” he said.

He added that both sides had drawn up “an ambitious roadmap for cooperation in various domains, including trade, investment, civil nuclear collaboration, AI, and energy.”

Speaking about global collaboration, Jaishankar said, “India and Canada have a long tradition of being active in world affairs. We are members of the G20 and the Commonwealth. Our convergence in the Indo-Pacific is notable. We are proponents of effective multilateralism, climate action, and the SDG Agenda 2030.”

“We seek to de-risk the international economy today by forging strong partnerships of growing range and depth,” he said.

He noted that their role as Foreign Ministers was to “shepherd the process of rebuilding cooperation and ensure that it delivers on the expectations of our Prime Ministers and the interests of our people.”

“It means not only taking initiatives in our particular jurisdiction, but also to monitor and integrate interactions across the entire breadth of the government. I look forward to doing so, working closely with you,” Jaishankar said.

Anand, who is on a diplomatic tour of India, Singapore, and China, thanked Jaishankar for the warm welcome.

“‘Namaste‘, thank you so much for the warm welcome that we’ve received this morning. We are so grateful to be able to further the Canada–India relationship with you here in New Delhi today,” she said.

She referred to the meeting between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Mark Carney at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, saying, “Equally, Prime Minister Carney was pleased to welcome Prime Minister Modi to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, where they had a productive bilateral engagement that informs the conversation we are having here today.”

Outlining the focus of the meeting, Anand said, “Today, we’ll be discussing the India–Canada Joint Statement, which is comprehensive and covers a number of issues that will allow us to continue the work to elevate the bilateral relationship.”

Acknowledging Jaishankar’s remarks, she said, “I appreciate the words you spoke relating to the security dialogue, which, while we elevate the relationship in areas of critical minerals, energy, AI, and climate, to name a few, will continue.”

“The meeting that our officials had relating to security and law enforcement just a few weeks ago here was very productive, and that dialogue will continue,” she added.

Anand said both governments “agree on the importance of elevating the relationship going further.”

“This joint statement will discuss our mutual plans for re-engagement. It will inform Canadians and Indians alike that we are collectively committed to advancing this relationship now and in the long term, particularly when it comes to our mutual priorities in the Indo-Pacific,” she said.

“‘Dhanyawaad‘, thank you so much again. We look forward to the conversation,” Anand concluded.

A joint statement later said, “The meeting in New Delhi is a follow up to the guidance provided by the Prime Ministers of the two countries during their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, to take calibrated measures to restore stability in the relationship and to pursue a constructive and balanced partnership grounded in respect for each other’s concerns and sensitivities, strong people-to-people ties, and growing economic complementarities.”

It added that both sides had already taken steps to strengthen engagement, including reinstating High Commissioners on August 28, 2025, a meeting between National Security Advisers in New Delhi on September 18, 2025, and continuing official-level discussions on law enforcement and security.

The statement also mentioned consultations between the Secretary (East) and Canada’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in New Delhi on September 19, 2025, followed by a meeting between the two Foreign Ministers at the UN General Assembly in New York on September 29, 2025.

“In keeping with the priorities that the Prime Ministers of India and Canada had set out for bringing momentum to the relationship, both sides, based on mutual respect for shared democratic values, the rule of law, and a commitment to upholding the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, reached consensus on a New Roadmap for India-Canada relations,” the statement said.

Anand will also meet Union Minister Piyush Goyal before proceeding to Singapore and China to further Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. Her talks in India will focus on building a strategic framework for cooperation covering trade diversification, clean energy transition, and security.

She will also visit Mumbai to meet Indian and Canadian business leaders to promote investment, job creation, and economic opportunities in both countries.